Weekender: Echo Ridge

Chelan’s Echo Ridge — A quiet Nordic delight

By Rebecca Agiewich

Photo at right: A skier enjoying the views at Echo Ridge. Photo courtesy of Lake Chelan Tourism.

It was a good thing there was snow at the Echo Ridge Nordic Area because we seriously needed to burn some calories.

On this winter vacation we’d dubbed The Cholesterol Tour, we had been eating and drinking our way through Cashmere (apple butter milkshakes at the Cashmere Cider Mill), Wenatchee (steak frites at Chateau Faire Le Point Winery), and now Chelan (ravioli in creamy tomato basil sauce at Sorrento’s Ristorante).

We’d been warned there might not be any snow for our planned ski outing, but the weather smiled on us, dumping several inches on Echo Ridge the day before we arrived in Chelan.

The good folks from the Lake Chelan Nordic Ski Club (who run the area in conjunction with the Forest Service) got up early and groomed the area and voila—perfect corduroy on almost all 25 miles of trails.

Getting there

From our base at the Lake View Hotel in downtown Chelan, it took about 20 minutes to get up to Echo Ridge via Highway 150 and twisty Boyd Road.

Along the way, we passed the Echo Valley downhill ski area. With lift tickets at only $25, it’s got a Poma lift, three rope tows, a tubing hill, and 70 acres of groomed skiing and snowboarding terrain. It’s a great little family-oriented gem, and has been a non-profit ski area for more than 50 years. Like Echo Ridge, it has a thriving volunteer contingent making it successful.

The views got better with each passing minute as we climbed Boyd Road. Tim Hollingsworth, a member of the Lake Chelan Nordic Ski Club, told us that because Echo Ridge perches on the ridge top at an elevation of 3,000 – 4,000 feet, it’s often a clear sky winter wonderland up there even when clouds fill the Chelan valley below.

The trails

Echo Ridge has well-marked trails of all levels for skate skiers, classic skiers, and snowshoers. It’s also got a 4-½-mile backcountry loop—the “Outback” trail—that takes you to the ridge’s high point at 4,000 feet and really makes you feel like you’re out in the wild.

We opted to stay on the abundant groomed trails, which felt gloriously far from civilization, as we saw only a handful of skiers the whole day. However, we did see stunning views of many mountains. In this wide-open eastern Washington countryside, the vistas never end: views of Mount Stuart, Pyramid Peak, the Kettle Range, and the Pasayten range all kept us company. Lake Chelan itself was a visual treat, shimmering like a cobalt jewel in the valley below.

We especially liked the 1.5k Ridge View trail, which looked down on the Chelan Valley and made us feel like we were hovering at the edge of the world.

A gem built by volunteer labor

Echo Ridge has grown into a world-class ski area since it was first developed in 1988.Thanks to the efforts of volunteers like Tim Hollingsworth and others from the local Nordic club, volunteers built the yurt, where you can now enjoy “Saturday Soup at the Yurt.” It’s just one example of how generous donations and hands-on volunteer labor have made Echo Ridge such a great place to ski.

Hollingsworth proudly calls Echo Ridge a “gem,” and he would love to see others discover it, just like they’ve discovered skiing at the iconic Methow Valley with its 200k of trails.

“It’s only 40 minutes from the Methow Valley,” he says. “Why not put together a package where you ski in the Methow Valley and also at Echo Ridge?”

There was no argument from us. We kept skiing, as we had more calories to burn.

Twilight on one of the groomed trails at Echo Ridge. Photo courtesy of Jon Luke.

If you go:

Echo Ridge Nordic Area

Echo Ridge trail map

Echo Valley Ski Area

Where to stay:

Lake View Hotel

Campbell’s Resort

Where to eat:

Sorrento’s Ristorante at Tsillan Cellars

Rebecca Agiewich is a freelance writer living in Seattle.

 

If you like this post, you might also enjoy:

Features Home Recent Articles Snowsports Travel